Macfarlane, A. (2021, July 8). Nuclear Energy Will Not Be the Solution to Climate Change. Retrieved August 5, 2021, from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2021-07-08/nuclear-energy-will-not-be-solution-climate-change
The world has recently shown interest in nuclear energy in order to prevent the obvious effects of global warming. However, nuclear power is not the solution to climate change for a few reasons. Firstly, nuclear power has too high of a capital cost. Secondly, new reactor makers use different types of coolants, moderators, and fuel types, making the innovation process complex. It also usually takes over 10 years to create a reactor in the U.S. While it may not be the solution to climate change, it still is useful to research it.
The article is related to environmental science as it argues that nuclear energy is not the complete solution for climate change. It argues mainly about the complexity of nuclear energy that makes it unable to completely solve climate change, such as its economic and logistical weaknesses. My opinion on this article is that it makes fair points about the viability of nuclear energy, and can agree with the conclusion that it should still be researched.
Evan- I think you’re right when you say the complexity of nuclear makes it so it can’t entirely replace carbon based energies… but what can? It takes over a 10 years to produce a reactor. Did the article compare the amount of energy an average reactor can produce compared to wind/solar or other clean energies? That would be interesting to know to put it all in perspective. You’ve got one of my favorite topics and I know you’re perspective on nuclear will continue to grow.
Thanks for reading! I don’t think anything can completely replace carbon-based energies, but combining a lot of different methods is how we will replace them in the future. The article did not cover the amount of energy an average reactor can produce compared to other clean energies.
I think you summarize the article’s consideration of logistics and economic harm while also weighing environmental benefits very well. One thing to consider is that when these reactors are functioning, they generally require very little upkeep and often produce more energy than wind and solar farms.
Thanks for reading!